Search

BackgroundThe advent of eHealth interventions to address psychological concerns and health behaviors has created new opportunities, including the ability to optimize the effectiveness of intervention activities and then deliver these activities consistently to a large number of individuals in need. Given that eHealth interventions grounded in a well-delineated theoretical model for change are more likely to be effective and that eHealth interventions can be costly to develop, assuring the match of final intervention content and activities to the underlying model is a key step. We propose to apply the concept of “content validity” as a crucial checkpoint to evaluate the extent to which proposed intervention activities in an eHealth intervention program are valid (eg, relevant and likely to be effective) for the specific mechanism of change that each is intended to target and the intended target population for the intervention. ObjectiveThe aims of this paper are to define content validity as it applies to model-based eHealth intervention development, to present a feasible method for assessing content validity in this context, and to describe the implementation of this new method during the development of a Web-based intervention for children. MethodsWe designed a practical 5-step method for assessing content validity in eHealth interventions that includes defining key intervention targets, delineating intervention activity-target pairings, identifying experts and using a survey tool to gather expert ratings of the relevance of each activity to its intended target, its likely effectiveness in achieving the intended target, and its appropriateness with a specific intended audience, and then using quantitative and qualitative results to identify intervention activities that may need modification. We applied this method during our development of the Coping Coach Web-based intervention for school-age children. ResultsIn the evaluation of Coping Coach content validity, 15 experts from five countries rated each of 15 intervention activity-target pairings. Based on quantitative indices, content validity was excellent for relevance and good for likely effectiveness and age-appropriateness. Two intervention activities had item-level indicators that suggested the need for further review and potential revision by the development team. ConclusionsThis project demonstrated that assessment of content validity can be straightforward and feasible to implement and that results of this assessment provide useful information for ongoing development and iterations of new eHealth interventions, complementing other sources of information (eg, user feedback, effectiveness evaluations). This approach can be utilized at one or more points during the development process to guide ongoing optimization of eHealth interventions.

THE INNOVATION Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for adolescents, and a leading cause of crashes is driver error. (1) Studies have quantified that 75% of young [...]

Peer bullying occurs frequently among middle school youth, negatively impacting students and the broader school climate. However, during these years there is a gap in translating empirically supported prevention science into school-based practices. This paper describes how the evidence-based Free2B bullying prevention multimedia assembly was disseminated by a team of educators, researchers, and technologists to over 14,000 students in 40 middle schools across the state. This dissemination and scaling effort was conducted in partnership with the state's government officials and Office of Safe Schools in order to ensure that each school and district across the state had equal access in applying for the programming. Over half of participating students expressed concerns about school bullying, with 36% reporting victimization and 17% reporting perpetration of bullying in the past month. Significant improvements were found in problem-solving knowledge, confidence in being a positive bystander, and sympathy for peer victims. We discuss gender and community setting differences (urban, suburban, rural) in the findings, implications for dissemination and implementation science, and school psychologists' role in disseminating bullying prevention practices.

Distracted driving is responsible for nearly 1 million crashes each year in the United States alone, and a major source of driver distraction is handheld phone use. We conducted a randomized, controlled trial to compare the effectiveness of interventions designed to create sustained reductions in handheld use while driving (NCT04587609). Participants were 1,653 consenting Progressive® Snapshot® usage-based auto insurance customers ages 18 to 77 who averaged at least 2 min/h of handheld use while driving in the month prior to study invitation. They were randomly assigned to one of five arms for a 10-wk intervention period. Arm 1 (control) got education about the risks of handheld phone use, as did the other arms. Arm 2 got a free phone mount to facilitate hands-free use. Arm 3 got the mount plus a commitment exercise and tips for hands-free use. Arm 4 got the mount, commitment, and tips plus weekly goal gamification and social competition. Arm 5 was the same as Arm 4, plus offered behaviorally designed financial incentives. Postintervention, participants were monitored until the end of their insurance rating period, 25 to 65 d more. Outcome differences were measured using fractional logistic regression. Arm 4 participants, who received gamification and competition, reduced their handheld use by 20.5% relative to control (P < 0.001); Arm 5 participants, who additionally received financial incentives, reduced their use by 27.6% (P < 0.001). Both groups sustained these reductions through the end of their insurance rating period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ObjectiveGiven the millions of children who experience potentially traumatic injuries each year and the need to maximize emotional and physical health outcomes following pediatric injury, the current study examined the individual and collective contributions of the malleable variables of appraisals and coping in predicting posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in children following injury.MethodThis study combined data from 3 prospective investigations of recovery from pediatric injury (N = 688) in which children ages 8-17 years were recruited shortly after an injury (within 4 weeks). At baseline (T1), children completed measures of their threat appraisals of the injury event and PTSS. Six to twelve weeks later (T2), children completed a measure of coping and PTSS. Finally, PTSS was assessed again 6 months post-injury (T3).ResultsStructural equation modeling analyses provide evidence that appraisals and coping contribute to PTSS. Furthermore, results suggest that escape coping mediates the relationship between threat appraisals and PTSS.ConclusionsEarly interventions designed to prevent or reduce PTSS after pediatric injury may be more successful if they primarily target modifying escape coping behaviors. To best inform clinical practice, future research should examine factors influencing the development of children's appraisals and coping behaviors in the context of potentially traumatic events. (PsycINFO Database Record